Sealed with Blood
by One Helluva Daydreamer
Summary: Equivalent Exchange-"In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed," She lost everything and gained nothing. A forbidden deal. Secrets hidden. An exorcist school which may provide her with answers. Risking it all to find the man who took everything from her. (Possible Pairings later on) Cover image: TwilightKnight17 from deviantart
1. Chapter 1

Sealed with Blood

Chapter 1- First Impressions

_Her father stood bravely by her, but she could see the terror in his eyes. Her mother lay motionless next to him, a pool of blood forming by the gash on her side. She tried to move towards them but a burning piece of the ceiling had trapped her legs. She tried to speak but could only cough up blood._

"_Sweetie, don't come any closer," her father told her calmly, "I'll deal with this,"_

_He turned to the man standing in front of them. He sat casually on one of the dining chairs, playing with his cane while everything burned around him._

"_I held up my end of the bargain," he grinned looking at the small girl, "I expect you to do the same."_

"_I understand," her father walked towards him, "So I will take her place."_

"_Don't go. Please," She whimpered through coughs._

"_It's ok," her father whispered soothingly, "Mei will take care of you."_

_She felt herself being pulled out of the debris. She turned to see her maid Mei who carried her on her back._

"_Take care of her for us," she turned and saw her father smiling, "Oh and Happy Birthday Saki."_

"_Oh boy!" the man interrupted, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Family love, so beautiful yet sooo tragic. Can we please hurry? I don't have ALL day you know."_

"_Yes, Amemori-sama," Mei ignored the man standing by the little girl's parents. She turned and headed through the burning furniture carrying the crying girl in her arms._

"_Wait! We need to go back to save them! Mei, please stop!" the little girl wailed her voice returning but then shortly afterwards she broke out coughing again. _

"_I'm sorry Saki-chan, your father needs to deal with this himself." Her maid whispered quietly._

"_No! Stop!" she cried out as they ran out of her former home engulfed in fire. This was all her fault. She felt absolutely useless. Mei herself was trying to put on a strong face for the girl but had reached her breaking point. The little girl looked back at her mansion one last time to see the man standing outside of her mansion, his scarlet eyes piercing her through the leaves of the trees._

"_Pleasure doing business with you hime-san," he bowed and the building behind him exploded engulfing them in fire. _

Sakiko jolted upwards from her bed, breathing heavily. Her sweat drenched her clothes and bedding. She felt extremely hot but she shivered while her blankets were tangled all around her. She curled up into a balled and tried to calm herself. She hadn't had that dream in a very long time. It's been 8 years since she met that man on the side of the road; 8 years since she had lost her family; 8 years since her life turned around completely.

She remembered seeing him again at the funeral. Not many people came so she could easily tell him apart from the rest of the people. The authorities had dismissed murder because they believed the forest fire near her home had set her house ablaze. No one believed her when she tried to tell them or when she complained about seeing monsters outside. They all assumed the event traumatized her and she created imaginary scenes in her head to try to cope. She always regretted talking to and actually trusting him. All she wanted was for the bullies to stop. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. But it had cost her almost everything. Her family, her home, even her normal self. Blood would sometimes trickle from random places on her body: her legs, her arms, even her face. She could barely speak without coughing up a mouthful of it. The doctors told her that her vocal chords must've been damaged, but she knew better. She felt hopeless and horrible. She became quiet and rarely talked to anyone, not even Mei.

Since it was just Sakiko and her maid, they couldn't afford much. Her dad's assets had apparently frozen and Saki didn't know when she could use the money again. Her mother and father had no siblings so Mei was her only family. They luckily, managed to salvage enough money for two tickets back to her home country of Japan. She didn't want to leave Britain but Mei thought that they should have a fresh new start and probably to get her as far away from her old mansion as possible. They managed to find a quaint apartment that provided more than enough space for two people with a fairly decent monthly rent. Mei loved to play music for Saki but she had to sell some of her own instruments to be able to have a decent amount to get them started on their new life. Saki went to a new school but just kept to herself and just blended in. It was fairly easy for her because she didn't really like to talk to anyone and it became clear that no one really wanted to talk to her unless they had to. She came off as cold and slightly hostile towards them so she didn't have to worry about anyone picking on her. She knew people talked about her behind her back but her demeanor terrified them so any rumour about her never lasted long. Even if she wanted to talk to them, she couldn't do it often. She couldn't really speak for very long without breaking into a coughing fit. Mei tried to give her some medicine and spent a lot of her time trying to soothe the pain she went through.

She was very grateful to have someone like Mei in her life. Mei always played with her when her parents were gone and took care of her when she was sick. Saki really trusted Mei with her problems when she had no one else to turn to. Saki felt guilty about dragging her along with her though. In her opinion, she didn't deserve to be put through any of this and someone of Mei's age should be out spending time with friends or pursuing her dreams instead of taking care of her. But Mei kept telling her the same thing, she promised her dad that she would take care of her and that she was her top priority always.

She took a deep breath and got out of bed, rubbing her eyes. She looked at the small rabbit-shaped clock on her drawer: 11:27 A.M. She slept in a little later than usual but she was off school today anyway. She yawned and stretched her arms while exiting her room and headed into the small kitchen where a breakfast of Miso soup, steamed rice, and fish waited for her. Mei busied herself by cleaning up the dishes by the sink.

"Ah! Saki-sama, good morning! Did you sleep well?"

"Um, yeah," Saki shrugged and scratched the back of her head. She still felt shaken by the dream.

Mei looked at her suspiciously, "Is something wrong miss?"

She shook her head in response trying to avoid suspicion.

Mei frowned, not convinced, "Was it the same nightmare again?"

Sakiko stopped, and nodded slightly.

Mei walked up to her and hugged her "It'll be alright Saki-sama."

Saki pulled free from the hug quickly frowning at her maid, "I'm not a child anymore Mei,"

"Of course not. But I still have to take care of you," Mei smiled, "Now you should probably hurry and eat your breakfast. Someone from a prestigious academy is coming over to talk to you about a scholarship apparently. I just received the message earlier this morning,"

Scholarship? Prestigious Academy? Why was she getting a scholarship? Sure, she did get high marks in her classes and she could play a few songs on the piano which Mei had taught her, but she still didn't understand why her of all people. Other people could do the same AND they probably had more to bring to the table: better talents, higher reputations, and more money. Her parents were skilled doctors but weren't well known here in Japan and with her parents' assets frozen, she had next to nothing. She ate in silence as she continued to think about the reason why she had the opportunity to attend such an academy. She smirked to herself.

_Well, I guess I just have something no one else has. _

She finished her breakfast quickly and went back to her room to change out of her pajamas to her favourite red sweater and jeans. She washed her face and checked her reflection in the mirror. She was the splitting image of her mother, as Mei had always told her. Long hazelnut hair which reached her shoulders and eyes the colour of jade. She brushed her hair and looked at each part of her face, making sure there were no cuts or bruises on her face. She didn't want to start off her meeting with this person by suddenly bleeding and fainting. Since she was anemic, it took a huge toll on her body depending on the size of the wound that would suddenly appear.

"Sakiko-sama! The principal of the academy is here!" her maid called.

_Let's get this over with _she thought to herself

She prepared herself to see a strict, uptight man or woman in a business outfit but she had received something completely different. The man looked and seemed odd. He seemed laidback and was dressed in a strange outfit that reminded her of one of those magic performers. He also had purple hair and green eyes that were like her own but darker.

_This is the so called principal of True Cross? Not impressed._

"Well well well, we finally get to meet miss" he stepped up to her, "I've heard all about you from Mei over here, you seem like a well-educated student and would be a great addition to our academy,"

He stuck his hand out but she just stared at him.

"I suppose I should give you a brief overview of our amazing school," he spoke not fazed by her lack of a reaction. "Well, so where do I begin…"

Sakiko ignored most of what he said. She heard a few parts but she already knew about the prestigious True Cross Academy and the different facilities it contained. She became bored and secretly put on one headphone in her ear hidden behind her long hair and nodded every few times just to show that he had her attention even though she really didn't care.

"Anyways, shouldn't you be packing already? You're already enrolled at True Cross Academy and your orientation starts tomorrow."

Sakiko kept nodding.

"Miss? Are you listening? Your orientation starts tomorrow,"

Sakiko stopped nodding, "Wait but, I'm already enrolled at a school already,"

He chuckled, "Don't worry about that. I've made arrangements already and the school has been notified of your transfer. There are also special classes you can take to help you with your special problem that you will take right after the orientation,"

She raised her eyebrows at him, "I don't have any special problem that I need to take a class for,"

"Are you sure miss? Nothing at all?"

She glared at him. _I. Have. No. Problem._

The man simply smiled at her, "You have no idea do you?"

The glare on her face disappeared, leaving only confusion.

"Don't you know anything about why your father or mother seemed to always be out late or about the strange shadows and monsters you've been seeing?"

Her breath caught in her throat. How did he know about that?

"Haven't you ever wondered why cuts and other wounds would suddenly appear on your body? Or maybe why you've been hearing certain things?" his smile growing wider.

She felt bile coming up her throat as she recalled the painful memories of hiding from the strange shadows she would see lingering outside her window staring right back at her.

"I'm not as dumb as you make me out to be Amemori Sakiko," he stated a matter-of-factly, "I know about many things in your life that you've tried to run away from. I know about what happened to your family 8 years ago. Oh, and I know about the deal you made with the man you traded everything for in exchange for such a small and petty favour,"

The wall cracked near his head. The girl had smashed the wall with her fist, a faint red aura surrounding her. Her whole body trembling with rage. She stared right at him with a scarlet hue forming in her eyes radiating with fury.

"Saki-sama please control yourself!" Mei tried to run up to pull her but the man raised a hand signaling her to stop.

"Ah, I may have said a bit too much. But miss, I suggest we control our temper," he whispered quietly, "We wouldn't want to alert any of the higher ups about your little predicament,"

In an instant, the red glow disappeared, all anger fading away from her. She looked around slightly disoriented. Blood spilled from her mouth and her knuckles. She managed to take a few steps backwards before collapsing to the ground and blacking out.

"Saki!" Mei ran to her side, checking to see if she was ok.

"She will be perfectly fine miss," he walked up to them, "She may wake up with a major headache but that's to be expected,"

"Why is this happening to her?" she asked, "What does anything you said have anything to do with this?"

"Everything," he simply stated, "Don't worry, I'll make sure that she is taken care of at the academy,"

Mei remained silent as he picked up his hat and cane.

"Well, I shall take my leave then. I assume you'll be packing her possessions tonight and saying your goodbyes? I'll see you tomorrow morning then~"

And he was out the door, leaving Mei and an unconscious girl.

She sighed, "Kazuto-sama, I have no idea what to do. Her condition keeps getting worse and I have a feeling that I won't be able to help her anymore. I've tried everything I could but the most I've been able to do was slow whatever it was that was affecting her. I have a feeling that there is something you aren't telling me though. I know you and Nanami-sama were busy doctors but you never seemed to take time out of your life to even play or have dinner with your daughter. Even I wondered why you and the mistress would be gone for days. I was terrified when you told me that I needed to take care of her in case something happened as if you knew you were going to die. I promised I would take care of her but I think she needs more than me now. I honestly hope I'm making the right choice by sending her,"

She carried Saki into her room and laid her on the bed, pulled her blankets over her and left the room, leaving the girl to rest.

Sakiko woke up shaking. She had the exact same dream again. She looked around and realized that she was in her room again. She sat up and tried to recall the events that happened before she ended up back in her room again.

_I woke up and ate breakfast._

_I meet the odd principal who seems to know something I don't._

_Principal mentions my past and seemed to almost mock me for it. _

_I almost smash his face in. _

_I faint. _

_I wake up here. Yep, that seems to be about it._

She shook her head. _Way to make a first impression Saki. Try to kill the principal who may or may not be trying to help you._

She checked her phone by her head board for the time: 5:30 A.M. She gave her phone a perplexed look. Time doesn't go backwards. She suddenly realized that she had slept through an entire day. She tried to stand but fell on her knees because of an extreme dizziness. That and her head was pounding as if a jackhammer did its business on her head. She slowly stood up again and walked towards the kitchen to get a drink and saw Mei already making breakfast.

"Ah, good morning Amemori-sama," Mei smiled.

She nodded in reply and went to get a cup from the cupboard.

"The principal is coming again to pick you up in a few hours so we should get ready as soon as you're done eating,"

"Oh, he's still letting me go?"

Mei nodded, "Well, yes. He seems to think that he knows what your problem is and that he could help you. He promised me that you would be taken care of in that school,"

"Do you think I should go?"

"In all honesty, I really don't know. He seems suspicious because he knows something we don't but this school does have a good reputation and he _did_ say that it could help you. And we don't really have much of a choice anyway so I think it should be alright for you to go,"

Sakiko nodded and took some pills for her headache. She sat down at the table and started to eat the waffles which Mei had placed for her.

"I packed some of the clothes that you were going to bring already but I wasn't sure what else you wanted,"

"That's fine. Thanks for your help," Sakiko replied, giving her a small smile, _It's not like I have many things to bring anyway._

She finished her food quickly and went to her room to prepare for the drive to the school.

* * *

"Are you not going to wear the uniform miss?" Mephisto asked.

_I am not putting on that infernal skirt. _She had been thinking to herself. _No way in hell am I putting that on._

He had introduced himself originally as Johan Faust the V but once she had entered his strange pink limo, he also told her that she could also call him Mephisto Pheles. She decided to cover up completely by wearing her same red hoodie and jeans and had tied her hair in a ponytail before saying goodbye one last time and leaving in the strange vehicle. Even though it was extremely hot outside, she didn't want to start bleeding randomly in front of her new schoolmates.

She internally groaned when she saw the uniform. She absolutely hated wearing skirts. She always had to wear them in the school she used to go to and it caused a great amount of trouble for her. She had to excuse herself often because spots of red would appear on the white socks in the uniform and she hated the particularly unpleasant rumors that flew around because of it. She refused to wear the uniform until the day school actually started and was adamant in her refusal to wear it.

"I know your predicament quite well Amemori-chan," he crossed his legs and smiled at her, "Technically, you should be executed for dealing with demons you know."

But she didn't know that. She didn't know that the man she had met was some kind of demon. She didn't even believe they existed! She took in way too much information all at once. He began explaining to her the moment the car started about demons from another world called Gehenna invading Assiah which is apparently this world. To keep them from destroying Assiah, there are exorcists who kill demons and keep them back in Gehenna. At the very top of all the demons, stood Satan who apparently murdered several people in an event called "The Blue Night". That was the summary she had made in her head. She honestly thought that this man was completely and utterly insane when he started telling her about all of this. But considering all she had been through, the fact that he looked very serious when he spoke to her about this, and the fact he was the principal of a well-respected academy and seemed to understand her problem compared to the other doctors she tried seeking help from, she was in no position to doubt him.

"If you aren't going to wear the uniform at least put one of these on," A folded tie appeared in his hands in a puff of smoke, "Show some school spirit at least!"

She sighed and grabbed the tie and lazily tied it around her neck. She decided to look out the window the rest of the drive. She watched the towering buildings and cars go by for the rest of the trip, remembering the conversation she had with Mei before she left.

"_Do you have everything you need?" Mei pestered, "Toothbrush, phone, clothes, your alarm clock, stuffed Vocaloid collec—"_

_Saki put her hands on Mei's mouth trying to silence her, "I'm not a child anymore, don't worry!"_

_Mei hugged her, "Remember what I told you about avoiding molesters and those self-defense techniques. Be sure to call me at least once every two weeks. Oh and please eat a lot while you're there. You are becoming incredibly thin and it worries me, especially with all the different problems you have right now,"_

_Sakiko rolled her eyes and nodded. She gave Mei one last hug as a pink limo rounded the corner._

"_Take care Saki," she smiled brightly, "Go and make some friends! Enjoy life!"_

She blocked Mephisto's slightly annoying voice out until they had reached what appeared to be a very large building in which her brief memory had already ended.

She looked outside and saw many groups of students talking and laughing as they entered the school. They were all in their own little groups laughing and talking as they were walking.

_Great. More people, more rumors._

Her heart felt heavy as she watched them smiling, enjoying their time.

_They probably have families back home. Hoping the best for them. Cheering them on._

She shook herself and took a huge breath.

_ Don't you dare show any weakness Saki._ She reassured herself, _Stay strong and get through the first day._

"You should probably head on to the auditorium," Mephisto opened the door for her, "Orientation will begin soon you know. I'll keep your luggage in my office so you can come down there when you're done with the mini orientation in our grand auditorium."

She had just exited the car when Mephisto stopped her again.

"I almost forgot!" he spoke three words she didn't understand and an oddly shaped key appeared in the palm of her hand, "This key will allow you to enter the exorcist cram school. You can insert it into any door and then voila! Try not to get seen by anyone Ok? Oh, and try not to tell anyone about your little condition ok? Let's just keep this a secret for now between only the two of us. Like I said before, I technically should have killed you on the spot for what you did,"

She shuddered slightly at the face he made before he left, leaving her alone on campus. She sighed and gazed at the enormous structure in front of her.

_Same routine as always. Don't talk to anyone. Keep a low profile._ She repeated to herself as she walked in the building. But of course, that tactic never seems to work out for her.

_Where the heck did everyone go?_

She was probably late because there were next to no people in the building no matter where she looked. While trying to search for the auditorium on an immense and intricate map near the main office, she lost her balance as someone tackle her to the ground.

_Watch where you're going you idiot. Are you blind or something? _

"I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" the girl tried to lend her a hand but Amemori ignored her and stood up, brushing off her clothes.

"I didn't mean to run into you! I thought I was late and didn't want to miss the assembly and—oh MY GOD…. You're bleeding!" she exclaimed pointing at her face.

Saki felt her face and felt a warm wet liquid pouring out of a cut on her cheek. She became extremely alarmed and tried to cover it up but the girl grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards a hallway.

"Don't worry! I found the nurse's office so I can take you ther—"

Saki frantically grabbed her arm and quickly shook her head.

"Why not? She could help you with that big cu—"

"No!" Saki insisted, "Please don't make a big deal out of this. I can just clean it in the restroom. It happens all the time anyway," She didn't need any more people getting involved.

"A-Are you sure?" the girl asked still a little skeptical.

Sakiko nodded.

"Well fine, but at least let me help you clean that wound up!" she took her hand and led her down the hallway, "After all, my parents are doctors and they did show me how to take care of cuts like that!"

In the bathroom the strange girl she ran into wiped her face with a small wet cloth. Since she couldn't do anything else, Sakiko decided to take a look at the girl helping her. She had long caramel colored hair with one braid by each ear which reached her shoulders. She also had dark brown eyes like chocolate behind round sea-green spectacles on her face. She also wore the girl's uniform for the academy but she looked almost fragile, as if the clothes were a burden on her. She also noticed something small but sparkling at the top of her sternum, near her neck. She wore a stunningly beautiful necklace. The round diamond sparkled and four white wings extended out from behind it. The jewelry fascinated her and piqued her curiosity about it. She barely uttered a word when she felt a painful sting on her face. She tried to stop the other but then the girl just told her that she was just disinfecting the wound.

"Here take this," she gave her a very small strange tube with an odd smell. "Don't worry. It's just a medical cream that will help speed the healing process!"

Sakiko hesitated. She didn't know if she should trust this girl but applied a small dab of it on her face anyway. It had a warm, soothing sensation and she felt relaxed instantly. She also took the cough pills from her which helped reduce the searing pain in her throat and a small roll of bandages for her cut.

"Thanks," she murmured.

"No problem!" the friendly girl cheerfully replied and held out her hand, "I'm Kuroki Haruka! Nice to meet you!"

"Amemori Sakiko," the brunette replied and shook the others hand.

"Well, we're probably late for the ceremony!" Haru laughed, "We should probably try and head there quickly,"

Saki nodded in agreement and they rushed out of the bathroom and headed for the auditorium.

They weren't able to find any seats unfortunately so they just stood by the door and listened to the man speaking on the microphone.

"Freshman Representative Okumura Yukio!" a voice exclaimed.

"Yes!" A voice responded and stood up in the seats behind them.

He seemed to be around their age and had rectangular glasses and chestnut hair. She could feel his determination all the way from the entrance. She could hear several other girls whispering and giggling about the freshman representative.

"He's so cool!"

"I thought he was just a plain kind of person, but he's quite charming!"

"He's so smart!"

"He is soo amazing! Isn't he?"

"I know!"

Saki rolled her eyes and tuned them all out. She felt that anyone could've easily achieved that if they studied hard enough. She watched him head towards the podium and she turned to the bespectacled girl next to her. She noticed Haruka making a strange face towards the representative. She was biting her lip and her fists were slightly curled. She took a closer look and saw that her glaring slightly at the representative which worried her for some reason.

She tapped Haruka's shoulder, "Are you alright? You don't seem to like the representative. Did something happen?"

Haruka jumped in surprise. She didn't realize the girl was watching her.

"Oh no! It's nothing like that!" she laughed, trying to dismiss it.

"I know it isn't my business but it looks like you have a huge problem with him,"

The other girl sighed, "No not really. I didn't meet him in person until today, it was just something about the entrance exam,"

"I still don't see where he fits in,"

"Oh, well, I didn't exactly get a very high mark on the exam. I had just barely made it in but my mark was pathetic compared to everyone else's. You can imagine how my parents reacted when they found out that their "perfect" girl barely made it into the academy," she continued, "They started lecturing me about how I was being lazy and that I'm not trying hard enough. Then they started talking behind my back about Okumura and how much better he acted as if I couldn't hear them. They always do this, comparing me to people like_ him_ and how I won't be as good because I'm not trying as hard. I never see them acknowledging any of _my_ accomplishments that I make but when it comes to other people, _sure_, why not? Then they say I'm the negative one when I try to argue back,"

Sakiko could see that the girl was on the verge of tears so she decided to try to divert the topic a little bit.

"Well, why didn't you study for the exam then?"

Haruka let out a small laugh, "I thought it would be easy, because I never needed to study for any of the tests at my school. I could still ace the test and I had the highest grade in my whole class, I felt like this test would be just as easy as all the other ones I've taken,"

Sakiko scoffed, "Just because you were the smartest in your class doesn't guarantee that you will be smarter than the thousands of the other kids who happen to be the smartest in their class as well. You aren't the only person who's trying their best to succeed. When you really get out there, you will be competing with many other people who may or may not be more capable than you. Life isn't going to slow down or make things easier for you, in fact it will do the opposite. Laziness will slow you down and other people like him will pass you if you continue what you're doing,"

Haruka wiped a tear from her eye, "That was probably the most I've ever heard from you,"

The other girl just smiled, "Sorry, I just want you to know that that's what I feel about this,"

Haruka sighed. She didn't like being lectured by someone her age but she did feel that some parts did make sense. She should probably stop procrastinating and actually do her work and plan for her future. Actually do something on her free time instead of lying in bed, sleeping all day. She turned to the podium to listen to Yukio again but realized he had already finished his speech. The applause that followed was deafening and hurt her ears. She frowned slightly at how ear-splitting the noise was. It must've been a good speech to receive this much applause. She took one last look at the representative.

_I will become better than you Okumura. That's a promise._

She ran to catch up with Saki who had already taken off before the applause had ceased. Once they were outside, Haruka told Sakiko to wait because she needed something from the main building. She looked around the yard and saw the freshman representative exit crowded by gaggles of giggling girls who surrounded and pelted him with several questions. They practically drooled all over the poor boy. Sakiko sighed in exasperation. There were always groups of them at her old school and it annoyed her to no end. She felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned and saw that it was Haruka.

"I acquired a map of the school from one of the staff. We can go on our own little tour instead of waiting for them. I doubt we will be able to get anything done by waiting for the representative at this rate," she added, pointing towards Yukio who was now completely surround by the girls like how wolves surround their prey.

Saki nodded. She felt like gagging over those swooning fangirls of the freshman representative. She didn't understand why they would do things like that. It looked so stupid and absolutely pointless. She would've liked to ask him a few questions herself but she probably would've been waiting all day to get the chance. So in the end, she ended up accompanying her new acquaintance Kuroki Haruka. It's not like she had anything else to do anyway.

Their first destination was the enormous entrance hall. Sakiko took in the sight before them, mouth agape. A red staircase with escalators on both sides stood in front of them. Intricately designed panes line the walls on both sides.

_Wow… This is breathtaking. I've never seen a school like this before or even knew a school like this actually existed. I might actually like going here. _She turned to see Haruka with a dumbfounded look on her face. She looked impressed by the giant hall as well.

Haruka grinned, "Wow, and this is just the entrance too! I can't wait to see the other places in this school!"

Sakiko tried to look around some more but fell forward as someone shoved her. She tried to keep her balance by grabbing on to the nearest person's arm but ended up bringing Haruka down with her.

_Honestly, does NO ONE in this school EVER watch where they're going?! _

She stood and apologized to Haruka for dragging her down with her. She scanned the area and saw a black haired boy dashing to the stairs in front of them knocking other people over.

"What kind of school is this!?" the boy darted up and down the stairs, practically hopping on his feet, pointing and ogling at almost everything like a child.

_At least I'm not the only one excited_. A faint smile appearing on her lips. _But he really needs to watch where he's going._

She could see that his extremely loud voice drew unwanted attention from the other students. She looked and saw the same groups of girls whispering and glaring at him.

She shook her head. _Can't people mind their own business and leave him be? _

Haruka giggled and smiled as she saw the black haired boy running around.

Sakiko noticed the girl trying to stifle her laughter, "What's so funny?"

"He reminds me of my little brother back home. The way he gawks at everything, that childlike attitude he displayed, even the way he moves around… It all reminds me of Hikaru." She reminisced, a look of melancholy on her face as she told Sakiko about her little brother, "I miss him. But at least I'll see them again over the winter break!"

Sakiko gave her a tentative smile. _It must be nice to have a sibling._

Haruka chuckled "Well, we should probably keep going, I want to see the rest of this amazing school!"

They (mainly Haruka) talked about classes and explored parts of the large academy until Haru's stomach grumbled. They both agreed to go check out the cafeteria and see what they could buy. Once they entered, they caught a whiff of a fragrant smell. So many different foods were being served in the cafeteria. They had a great time admiring the different cultures and the different foods all in one room. Large tables filled the room while large chandeliers hung above them. Their mouths watered at all the food in front of them. They checked the prices for one of the dishes and their faces fell immediately.

_3000 YEN!? FOR A BOWL OF RAMEN. ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME._ Saki stood, appalled by the overpriced dish in front of her.

"I'm going to be broke by the end of the day!" Haruka cried and sat down, a look of defeat clearly visible on her face.

"Why don't we just explore the rest of the building," she suggested to the other girl, _I'm going to be tempted to steal something if we don't leave this cafeteria soon._

Haruka reluctantly agreed and they moved on to explore the other parts of the building. Sakiko noticed that the classrooms were gigantic. She noticed some were even larger than her apartment (much to her displeasure) and filled with desks, chairs and books. Huge windows lined the sides of the classrooms. Once they felt the explored enough, they just stayed in the main lobby and participated in idle chatter for a while. (Haruka did most of the talking while Sakiko nodded and said a few things here and there). Haruka suggested they go see the dorms instead of just standing around doing nothing. They hadn't even made it outside when Saki felt something poking at her leg. A dog with a huge ribbon poked her with a piece of paper as if it was trying to give it to her. She picked it up and read the note.

_Follow the dog. I shall show you to your cram school classes because they should be starting soon. Oh and please try to get rid of your friend_. _We wouldn't want her to start following us to your exorcist school now would we? Besides, she isn't ready yet._

She folded up the paper and tapped Haru's shoulder, "Um, Kuroki-san, I have an appointment I need to be at so I've got to go,"

"Oh, I can come with you! We can go see the dorms after!" she replied cheerfully.

"I would prefer if you didn't go with me. It's something private and I'd like it if you didn't go with me," the dark haired girl answered back.

"Oh...alright," she frowned a little disappointed, "I guess I'll see you later then,"

The dark-haired girl sighed. She felt a little guilty for sending the girl away but she had to do it. She turned and started following the dog which already had a head start. She followed the dog into an empty hallway.

_Why is this ugly dog leading me here? _She wondered. The dog stood there and looked around for a minute before turning back to her.

Suddenly in a puff of pink smoke, the principal of the academy appeared in front of her. She jumped back in surprise, slightly startled by the principal of the academy now standing in front of her.

"I suppose you're wondering how I did that," he spoke as he studied her expression. "Other exorcists can't do the things I can. But I'm not like other exorcists. I'm a bit more….. special than the normal group,"

_Reaaallly special. _She thought to herself.

"I brought you here because this area is out of bounds until the school semester begins, so no one can see us," he started, "At the exorcist school you will start out as a Page and then afterwards, you will choose a specialization suited to your abilities. Try not to take too many unless you plan on being a jack of all trades which I do not recommend. The teacher can explain the rest to you. Classes have started already so he can fill you in,"

She took out the key from her pocket and inserted it into the nearby door. She hadn't even turned the key when the purple-haired principal put his face close to her ear.

"Your curse feeds on the aggressive negative emotions, specifically anger and hate, so please try to control them. If anyone finds out about what you had done, it will make everything much more complicated and will make it difficult for me to keep any exorcist from executing you on the spot."

_So what's the point of me being here if I'm still going to be in danger? _She questioned.

"Not safe," he replied as if reading her mind, "It gives you a new start in your life. A chance for you to make things right again. Do you actually think that running away from this will solve anything?"

She shook her head, she didn't have much choice left.

"Any questions before I leave?" he inquired.

"Actually, yes," she responded, "What did you mean about Haruka not being ready yet? Is she also coming here?"

"Maybe, Maybe not," the man shrugged then smiled, "We'll see what happens,"

She didn't like his answer that much but she probably won't be able to pry anymore information from him.

"Well then, I suppose you should be going now," he waved his hand and a small book appeared in it, "Don't worry about your luggage, I'll make sure they're in your dorm at the end of class. Oh and here. Take this book. It should help you in your exorcist studies"

She nodded, took the book, and turned towards the door. Her heart was pounding through her chest. She felt extremely nervous and had second thoughts about attending this school.

_Remember the routine._ She thought quietly,_ Keep quiet, blend in, and you'll be fine._

A faint smile formed on her face, maybe her life might be taking a turn for the better after all.

She took a huge breath, pulled her hood on, turned the key, and pushed open the door.

"Your class is the third door to the left," Mephisto bowed, "I need to take care of some other problems around the school so this is where we part ways for the time being. You better hurry,"

She stepped inside the hallway and the door behind her slammed shut. She walked towards the third door when she stopped. She could hear someone speaking on the other side. The voice, almost sounded familiar. She scratched her head. She knows she heard that person before. She opened the door and her eyes widened. The freshman representative was at the front of the class teaching? Well at least that's what it looked like to her because he seemed to be explaining something to them and drew something out on the board. She also noticed that the class was almost empty. She counted about 10 people based on a quick scan of the room.

_I guess not many people are chosen to be Exorcists. _

"Ah, you must be the new student," the boy shook her hand, "I'm Okumura Yukio, teacher of Demon Pharmacology. I hope we will get along this year. Why don't you write your name on the board and introduce yourself?"

She walked towards the board and wrote her name with the chalk

_Amemori, Sakiko. Pleased to meet you._

She turned and bowed towards them. She saw that some of them, as she took a close look at their faces, gave her odd looks as if she dropped from another planet.

"Since we don't have many people, you can choose the place you want to sit,"

The girl bowed her head again and chose the seat at the very back but far away from the two other kids in the same row: A guy with a puppet of some sort and another boy wearing his hoodie over his head and playing a game on some hand-held electronic that Saki didn't know the name of.

She turned back to the board. The teacher was explaining more into the "Sprit Wound" and the different types of demons such as naberius and goblins. She grabbed paper by a desk near her and took out a pen from her sweater pocket to take down notes. She enjoyed learning about the demons and their habits. By the end of the lecture, she had written 3 pages of notes down. The teacher took out a stack of papers and passed them out.

"This will be your assignment," the teacher explained to all of them, "You will define the terms in part A and identify the different plants and demons in part B. You can work together if you wish but this will be due tomorrow for a grade. Understood?"

The class nodded in agreement.

"I need to go get some paperwork from the headmaster concerning our new student. Please behave and do your work quietly," he instructed before leaving the room.

Sakiko shrugged and put on turned on her phone and put on her headphones. She put it on shuffle and started to do her assignment. Some parts she already knew but others, were a little unclear. She looked in the book that the principal had given her. It looked like any other textbook but it had demons and other subjects related to exorcism. A thought formed in her head. She started skimming through the book to try to see the demon that she had made a deal with. But she couldn't find anything, not even a slight clue. She grew more and more frustrated as she continued her futile searched. Nearing the end of a page about shape-shifting demons, she noticed the edges of her paper turning a scarlet colour.

_Crap! Why now of all times?!_

Her breath hitched in her throat as she slowly pulled the sleeve up her left arm to see that a small gash across her wrist slowly forming. She tried to wrap it with some of the bandages that Haruka gave her but it couldn't hold back all of the blood, gushing at an alarming rate. She felt something wet on her chin and her eyes widened when the blood dripped from her mouth onto her paper. Her calm demeanor quickly turned into intense panic. She bolted for the door trying to wipe the blood with her sleeves, ignoring the fact that she pushed a girl in a kimono down as she was running.

"Eep!" the girl yelped and dropped her papers.

"Oi!" The same black haired boy from the main hall grabbed her right arm and forced her to stop running. "What kind of guy pushes a girl over and doesn't apologize!?"

_None of your—wait, did he just say guy? This moron thinks I'm a guy?!_

She glared at him and pulled her arm back and started towards the door again.

"I wasn't asking if you wanted to apologize," he grabbed her again with more force, "I'm not letting you go until you apologize to Shiemi!"

_What a nuisance._

She pulled her arm with much more force this time and bowed quickly to Shiemi as a quick apology before heading towards the door. The blood was slowly starting to pour out of the bandage and run down her arm. She had just reached the doorknob when she felt someone grab the back of her head. The boy, Rin grabbed her collar and held her up against the door. Rage filled his eyes.

"You aren't some high and mighty king who can push people around asshole. Be a man and apologize properly!" he yelled.

_Says the person who's pushing me around right now. _She felt slightly intimidated by him. She didn't think he had another side of him like this.

"It's OK Rin!" Shiemi interjected, "I don't think he meant to push me anyway! Just let him go,"

"No," Rin replied, "This bastard needs to learn that he won't get anywhere with an attitude like that! I want him to give you a proper apology and he isn't going anywhere until he does,"

Sakiko was on her last nerve with this guy. She could feel the blood already seeping through the bandages from her left arm and had to hide it behind her back to prevent them from seeing.

"Let the guy go already Okumura. You can't force him to talk if he doesn't want to,"

"Shut up!" he angrily replied to the boy who just tched at him and turned back to her, "Are you going to apologize or what?"

_You forced me to do this._

She brought her knee up to his face, hard, which forced him to drop her. She should've expected him to retaliate but didn't think of it at the time. She just wanted to get out of the room. She felt him grab her again and the next thing she knew, she hit the floor, her cheek red from where he had punched her. She felt the blood in her mouth trickle down her chin. She could feel blood start to run down from her cheek as well. _*Snap*. _Her last nerve had broken. She brought her left fist back and sent him backwards into the desks with another blow with her right arm. Everyone stared at her in silence when they saw the blood on her face and arm. Even the boy was slightly taken aback by her. Her eyes widened in terror at the sudden realization of what she had done. She took a few steps backwards, taking in the looks they gave her, and ran. She didn't stop. She ignored the people who tried to call her back. She kept on running and ignored her teacher's calls she ran past him. She ran. As far away from them as possible. She locked herself in the bathroom and stared in the mirror, looking at the crimson liquid which stained her clothing and covered her skin. She staggered slightly, the whole world blurring around her as she fell to the floor.

_Way to make a first impression Saki._

**Author's Note:**** Well here it is! The first chapter of my first story!**** Since this is my first story, comments and reviews would be highly appreciated :) I hope i wasn't inaccurate with any information and if i was, I'm sorry ;-; I also apologize if any of the characters seem OOC D: Oh in case you didn't know, other than the flashbacks, their thoughts will be italicized. The story revolves around Saki so far but I'll have more of Haruka in the next chapter. Until then, hope you enjoyed reading ^-^**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Confusions, Delusions, and Just Plain Illusions

**_A/N : I need to apologize for the long update ._. Apart from sickness and trying to keep my grades up, I've just felt pretty lazy these past few weeks. I promise I'll try not to procrastinate and update much faster than one month . Btw, there are some Shingeki No Kyojin Spoilers that I mention in here so just a heads up. I think if you haven't read as far as chapter 55 or maybe a bit further I'm not sure tbh. They're already in the Recon Corps but yeah some spoilers ahead if you haven't read far :)_**

_Argh….my head._

She woke up on the floor, slightly dazed. Her head pounded through her skull and the whole world around her seemed to spin. She sat up slowly, trying to think despite the intense pain in her head. She remembered that she had locked herself in the bathroom after her arm started bleeding. It looked like the bleeding had stopped early because the floor wasn't too much of a mess. She checked her phone in her pocket to see how long she was passed out for: about one and a half hours. She didn't know why, but even after passing out, she felt absolutely exhausted. She tried to stand but her legs buckled under the weight of her body so she needed to use the counter for support. She turned on the tap and washed the dried blood off her face and her hands. Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed that her skin had become considerably paler than before. Faint, dark splotches stained parts of her sweater but the dried blood was considerably noticeable on her pants. She also wiped up most of the mess, leaving the rest to whoever cleans the washrooms. The sharp pain in her head wasn't getting any better, in fact, it seemed to be getting worse as the minutes ticked away. She reached in her sweater for the migraine pills Haruka gave her but realized that she had left them all back in the classroom. She groaned and buried her face into her arms.

_You had one job Saki. And you managed to screw it up completely._

She realized that she should probably head back to the classroom to apologize and show them that she was still alright. Her other supplies were still in the classroom so she might as well go anyway. She headed towards the door and hesitated before turning the knob. She didn't want to face them, not after they saw what she did.

_Maybe I could just stay here for a little longer. _ One voice in her head suggested.

_You might as well face them now than later. What are you, a coward? _Another voice argued. _They're idiots if they can't take seeing a little blood come from you._

_Great. _She groaned, _I've been reduced to having heated conversations with myself._

Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and pushed the door open. She looked into the dimly lit hallway to try and remember which way she had come from. After recollecting her thoughts, she slowly limped down the hallway using the walls for support. She felt drained and ready to collapse at any moment. Luckily, she managed to reach the door of the classroom. She could hear someone yelling and thought that maybe she shouldn't interrupt.

_Don't you dare run, just walk right in as if nothing happened._

She opened the door and the loud voice was silenced. She saw the boy who she had kneed and punched….twice and the teacher who looked breathless, probably from all the yelling he did.

"Ah Amemori-san, welcome back," the teacher fixed his glasses and gave her a warm smile, "How are you feeling?"

She tried to open her mouth but no sound came out.

_Shit. It still hasn't gotten better._

So she nodded instead to show that she was ok. Thankfully, he understood.

"Please, why don't you take a seat?" he motioned his hand towards a chair next to the grumbling boy.

She heard him mutter something about her being inflated and a few…_creative_ curse words that Mei would've slapped her for if she had heard her mention at home. She quickly grabbed her items from the back and pulled a chair next to the black haired boy. She took two pills from the bottle and braced herself for the scolding the teacher was going to give her.

"Well, now that you're both here, I can begin," Yukio adjusted his glasses, and began his assault on them, "I'm very disappointed in the behavior both of you showed today. I can't believe two of my students would end up fighting and cause such a huge commotion over such a little thing. Really, throwing each other across the room. You two are fellow pages who need to support and not be fighting amongst each other! I cannot stress this enough, Exorcists need to work together to succeed _and _survive!"

"It wasn't my fault that he acted like a pretentious douche," the boy muttered, "Then he practically walked over Shiemi and didn't even bother to say anything to apologize. He was the one who got out of hand."

_Says the one who manhandled me when I tried to leave._

"Nii-san you must learn to control your temper," the teacher rubbed his temples in frustration, "From what I heard from Moriyama-san, this girl had already apologized to her before you slammed her against the wall."

_What…..Wait wait wait…These two are brothers?! _She couldn't even fathom such a thing and she didn't even notice that her mouth dropped open, _And the teacher is the YOUNGER of the two?!_

He seemed to find this new bit of information hard to comprehend as well. "Wait…what? He's a girl?!" he sputtered incredulously, "There is no way in hell that, that person is feminine!"

She rolled her eyes and pulled off her hood, revealing her face and her ponytail much more clearly. He couldn't find the right words to say. He looked at her with utter disbelief and opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out. It made her chuckle slightly watching him try to comprehend such a basic piece of information. She was a girl, not a guy. How was that so difficult to understand? Mistaken gender identity is easier to swallow than the fact that he was the older brother being lectured by a teacher who happens to be his younger _and _more mature brother. At least, that's what she thought.

Yukio sighed while shaking his head, "Honestly nii-san, your observation skills are lacking. Everyone knew she was a girl from the start. I mean her first name was "Sakiko" too."

"How am I supposed to know whether or not the new student was a girl or not. You didn't even mention about getting a new student anyway!" his brother spat, "And there are guys with girl names too you know!"

"Just like there are effeminate men and masculine women but never mind that. We're getting off topic," his brother silenced him, "We need to discuss punishment for your actions today. I cannot tolerate something like this even once so maybe this will help to prevent future conflict,"

_You managed to get into a fight AND a punishment. Great work Saki._

"You will run errands for me and help out in the classroom after class for the next three days. Understood?"

They both nodded in reply.

"Good. I hope that you two learn to treat each other better. The new student and my own brother fighting is absolutely unacceptable."

_Thanks a lot dumbass. _She felt ashamed that someone like her got in trouble on her first day. She never got into fights and she definitely never got into trouble. She always tried to avoid these kinds of things. The fact that she failed to do this on the first day made her day _just _great.

"You're dismissed, Amemori-san, I need nii-san to help me with one more thing."

Before she even left the room, the teacher called her one more time.

"Amemori-san, one more thing. The headmaster would like to have a word with you so please go to his office before you head to your dormitory."

She nodded and closed the door as she left. She decided to change her bandages right away as the old ones were already wearing and tearing slightly. She carefully removed the bandages from her arm and disposed of them in the nearest garbage can. She took out the roll which Haruka had gave her and slowly wrapped a length of bandages around her arm just as the door to the classroom opened. The teacher's brother came out mumbling something and their eyes both met. His eyes widened at the sight of the bandages wrapped around her arm which she hastily covered with her sleeve before bolting down the hallway.

"Hey! Wait up!" he called after her and started chasing her.

She tried to escape him but the boy was clearly faster than her. Exhaustion had already settled in before she started running but now she panted and wheezed, trying to get a breath of air. The boy caught up to her and grabbed the wrapped arm which sent a sharp pain through it. She winced and pulled it out of his grasp but stumbled slightly. She started to walk at a slower pace but this time the boy walked by her. The silence between them became heavy and the tension was so thick that she thought it would choke the little air she had left in her. After what seemed like an eternity, the boy finally broke the silence between them.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" he asked, "Or are you going to ignore me again?"

She continued in silence, looking directly ahead and trying to ignore him. At least, until she abruptly stopped by him grabbing her arm again. The one without the bandages

"What the heck happened to your arm?" he asked again, his tone calmer, "And why do you act like we're all beneath you? Can't you be a little nicer to everyone instead of acting like an ass?"

She just pulled her arm out and glared at him, before turning around.

"Jeez what kind of parents raises their kid to be like that?" he muttered, "I guess not everyone had parents who loved or cared for the—"

The sound of her hand striking his cheek resounded throughout the hallway. He winced at the force of the blow and the sound of bones cracking which accompanied the blow told him that she was pissed. He saw tears form at the edges of her eyes even though she tried to put up a face devoid of emotion.

"Like you would ever understand," she hissed, her voice suddenly returning to her, "You probably wouldn't even know what it's like to lose a loved one," then she turned and bolted down the hallway before he could utter a response or make a reaction.

She wiped the tears from her face while she tried to find a way to the principal's office. She hated herself but she hated him more. What would he know? He knows nothing about what happened to her and then he goes on about how her parents probably didn't care and that they were the reason why she became _pretentious_. The nerve of him! She finally managed to find his office after asking several people and making several wrong turns much to her displeasure.

Noise could be on the other side but it didn't sound like people having a conversation. It sounded…electronic as if it came from a game system of some sort; so she pushed open the door and was greeted by an otaku's paradise. The room looked nothing like what she had expected it to be. Mangas and figurines lined the shelves while game cartridges and candy wrappers littered the floor and the sofas. One of the doors looked as if it would burst at any moment and flood the room with more manga/anime related items. At the very front was the headmaster leaning on his chair, playing some Kingdom Hearts game projected on three large flat screen TVs placed in front of three enormous windows. Stacked papers and figurines took up the whole desk.

_Doesn't this guy ever organize his things? Mei would have a field day with him if she ever saw this._

She stepped, more like waded towards the desk and coughed a few times to catch his attention. The man paused the game and spun on his chair before greeting her with a smile.

"Ah Amemori-chan~ how nice to see you!" he motioned to another controller off to the side, "Care to join me in a quick game?"

"No thanks," she replied, "I'm just here to grab my things and because you needed me for something else."

"Ah yes! I remember now. Please wait a moment and I shall have your things ready for you." he placed his controller down and waved his hand, "Eins , Zwei, Drei!"

Nothing happened. He seemed confused by what happened while she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Hmm, that's strange, this doesn't usually happen," Mephisto rubbed his chin, "Don't worry miss! Your things should be here any minute. Why don't you have a seat and wait until then?"

She rolled her eyes and sat on the nearest sofa. A cup of tea and a plate of cookies appeared on the desk near her in a puff of pink smoke.

"I would ask you how your day went," Mephisto poured another cup for himself, smirking at her, "but I already heard the story from Okumura-san."

She scoffed and took a sip from her tea, "I only used self-defense from his half-wit, airhead of a brother who assaulted me."

"Still, you really need to control your emotions a little better," he chuckled and popped a cookie into his mouth, "You nearly exhibited the more….demonic side of your little enchantment. It was fortunate that you managed to regain some control of yourself before you did anything else and made your situation even more complicated than it need be."

She simply shrugged and continued drinking her tea.

"Perhaps we should to get something for you to vent your anger through. Maybe a sport or martial art of some kind? Unless you want to use Okumura Rin-san as a punching bag again, but I would highly recommend against it even though the mere thought of it is quite amusing."

She shrugged again in response. It wouldn't hurt to have something else to do in her spare time.

"You know, your power interests me Amemori-san," he pulled her face and put it dangerously close to his own, "Granted, I don't find it as interesting as others, but I wonder how strong you could be if you could learn to control it?"

She stuffed a cookie into his face and pushed him back with both hands and glared at him. That action received a light chuckle from him.

"Anyway, I'll find something for you," he placed his cup down and waved his hand again, "Eins, Zwei, Drei!"

She looked around but again, nothing seemed to change around them. Either his skills sucked or his room was too messy for her to notice any difference.

"Strange, I really need to organize my things soon if this keeps happening," Mephisto rubbed his chin, "Well, don't worry miss, it should be here within a few minutes so do make yourself comfortable~"

She finished the rest of her tea and opened her phone to check her manga updates. Her boredom turned into glee when she saw that her favorite manga had just updated a few minutes ago.

**_(Spoilers start around here)_**

_Finally! It's been weeks since I've read the last chapter!_

She opened the page and began reading her manga.

_I wonder how difficult it is to learn to use a 3DMG. They make it look extremely easy though it looks quite complicated. Eren seems to be having trouble just balancing on his. God, I hope he passes. It must be a horrible feeling to humiliate yourself in front of an entire squad even though you were so determined. I wonder what kind of person I'd be in a world like that, full of man-eating Titans. Heh, I'd have probably died in the first chapter._

"Oh, that manga, Shingeki no Kyojin right?" Mephisto appeared behind her, startling her slightly, "I enjoy reading this! I find the plot quite fascinating plus, the concrete historical background and setting is amazing. And the way they execute certain parts so brilliantly makes me want to read more! Though I wish there weren't so many deaths. It was such a shame when they killed off Marco in the chapter after this one,"

He was lucky her luggage and a large chest appeared in the air in front of him because she had thrown her teacup and the plate at him. They made contact with the chest but didn't break surprisingly and simply clattered on to the carpet.

"Oops!" he smiled, "I may have said a little bit too much!"

"You did that on purpose you little—" she couldn't say anymore because he stuffed a pastry into her mouth.

"Miss, I suggest we control ourselves," he wagged his finger at her, "At least I didn't tell you that Bertholdt and Reiner were the Colossal and Armored Titan,"

She threw the nearest things to her, which in this case was the teapot and the lamp. He had somehow ended up behind the chest, and the teapot and lamp ended up back to where they were, as if she had never thrown them.

_I'm going to tie you up and burn down your little otaku office. _She thought as she her teeth grit together. _Say one more word, I dare you._

"Calm down," he smirked, "I didn't even mention the chapter where Connie finds out that his entire village—"

She threw one of the sofa cushions at him to shut him up before he spoiled one more event from her favorite manga.

_How does he even know these things? The manga hasn't even updated that far yet!_

"Like I said before Amemori-chan~" he grinned as if reading her mind, "I'm not like other exorcists. I have my ways of reading ahead whether it be mangas or games."

She sulked back into the couch, planning his murder. She picked up her phone to read, but after the spoiling he had done, she lost all elation and interest in reading it now that she knew of what would happen. She wanted to ignore what he said and assume that he was just messing with her. But she had a feeling that Mephisto probably wasn't lying. He didn't seem like the type to lie about a manga.

"Sorry about accidentally spoiling it for you," he smirked, "But we're getting off topic."

_Yeah, an "accident"._

He walked over to the chest and started rummaging through its contents. "How about as an apology, I'll let you borrow the next few chapters from my shelf. K?"

_**(Spoilers end here)**_

She poured herself another cup of tea and sat back on the sofa. She pulled one of her bags towards her and checked to see if she packed everything she needed. She didn't realize that Mephisto had already finished and waited next to her patiently.

"Here, maybe this can help you," he presented her a sheathed katana with a bright green ribbon tied around the sheath.

She looked at the weapon in his hands and took them in her own, "I don't even know how to use something like this. What makes you think I'd be any good with it?"

"Well, you can learn," he smiled and handed her a pair of pistols, "I want to see how you use your power with both long and short ranged weaponry. It'll be quite an interesting sight to see. Plus, you'll need to learn to defend yourself well. Because of your condition, you may be facing both demons and exorcists alike so you'll need to be well prepared for any situation,"

She sighed and shoved the weapons into her backpack. Mephisto then closed the chest and with a snap of his fingers, it vanished.

"Well then, I supposed I should show you to your dorms now. Why don't you follow me and I shall lead you there. It is getting quite dark out already."

* * *

"It's getting worse?" Haruka replied, pacing the floor, "Do you have any stronger prescriptions for him?"

"I'm sorry miss," the doctor on the other end responded, "We've given him our strongest prescription. Your parents are doing their best to help him but at the rate it's going, your brother will be clinically blind in a few months."

"Is there anything you could give him to slow it down?" she pleaded, "Anything? At leas

"There is one I could try miss," the person replied, "But, the side effects might be dangerous for someone his age. Shouldn't we ask your parents and your brother? In the end, the choice is his."

"Fine," she sighed, "Just please try to help him in any way you can,"

"Of course. Anything for you miss,"

"Thank you," she ended the call and slumped against the wall.

_Why do I feel so useless? I've done everything I could to help him but I don't have the power to help him like my parents can._

She stayed in that position for a few minutes, collecting her thoughts.

_No use in moping around. Hikaru wouldn't want you to waste your time like this._

After a few deep breaths she picked herself up and headed down the hallway to the main lobby.

She looked outside and saw that dusk already settled in. "It's getting late. I better hurry and find someone who can give me directions to the dormitory."

She walked into the main hall and saw the headmaster sitting on one of the benches. It was easy to spot him because the lobby was almost empty, with the exception of a few students and staff members lingering in their little groups.

"Ah sir! Excuse me!" she ran towards him and waved her hands to catch his attention.

He paused the game on his PSP and turned to her, "Hmm? What can I do for you miss?"

"Do you by any chance know where the female dorms are?"

"Of course, but, are you registered for a room? Because if you were, then you should have received a message from the office."

She pursed her lips together, "Oh….um….I didn't receive any though."

"Well, I could check," he smiled to her, "May I have your name?"

"Kuroki Haruka," she responded.

"Hmm well let's see," he pulled out a book from who knows where and began flipping through the pages. After about a minute he shut the book and then placed it back in his jacket.

"Well, it seems that your name isn't present among the people occupying the female dorms,"

"Is there any chance you could squeeze me in a room then?" she asked, "I don't really care if I am or am not rooming with anyone."

"Unfortunately miss, both female and male dormitories are completely occupied."

Her face fell upon hearing his response, "Where am I going to stay then?"

He flashed a grin towards her which put her slightly ill-at-ease, "Well….. You _could_ come with me and stay at another dorm not too far from here."

_Not like I have another choice anyway unless I plan on sleeping outside. _"Ok."

"Great!" he clapped his hands together, "Now all we have to do is wait for the other occupant of your dorm who you happen to know coincidentally,"

"Oh that's great! Who is it?"

"Well, she should just be arriving from the restroom. Ah!" he pointed towards the door of the female restroom, "There she is!"

Haruka didn't recognize the hooded person until she saw her face.

"Saki-chan! You're coming with us to the dorm!? That's awesome!" she squealed.

"What's with the –chan honorific?" Saki questioned, "We aren't that close you know."

"Oh that's fine, I won't use it. It's great because at least I'll have a friend with me!"

_She thinks of me as a friend, even though we just met today? _Saki felt a smile tug at the edges of her mouth.

"Anyway, shall we get going then?" the principal interjected, "I have a feeling you'll enjoy staying at this dorm,"

_This dorm looks…quiet, I think I'll grow to like it even though it looks run down_. _It even has that horror movie air around it. _ Sakiko smirked upon seeing the dorm she would be staying in.

_Th—this is the dorm?! It looks like the setting for a slasher movie! Why? I thought there would be more people! _Haru gaped at the worn-down structure.

"This is an old boy's dormitory," he explained to them, "It's a little run down, but I'm sure you'll manage. It's also fairly quiet considering you're one of the few people here. I reserved this dorm for special cases such as yourselves,"

_You just don't trust me in the other ones. _Saki glared at the principal. _I'm not some guinea pig you can play around with._

_Really? Couldn't they have spent the millions of yen they have to actually refurnish this place? I mean if you can rip us off for a bowl of ramen, you could at least make the place look nicer!_ Haruka shook her head in disbelief.

"Well I should leave you two to get acquainted with the other occupants, oh and don't worry Kuroki-chan, your things are already inside by the doors in case you were wondering,"

_But, how? It's as if he planned to put me here from the start. There's no way he could've gotten my stuff here that quickly._

She felt him turn and smile at her, "You underestimate my ability miss."

Her face turned pale. _How…..?_

He winked at her, "Trade secret,"

Sakiko stared at them both, "Well, we should probably be going now. Right Kuroki-san?"

"Um, yeah sure," she nodded quickly.

"Well, thanks Sir…" Haruka turned to thank the headmaster but he had already gone.

_How did he go that fast?!_

Saki thought to knock but the door swung open in front of her nearly hitting her. She heard Haruka yelp behind her, probably starlted by the ear-piercing slam of the door. "Ah Amemori-san, is something the matter? Are you looking for your dorm? I was wondering what was the noise was outside."

_You could've looked outside before nearly slamming the door in my face you know._

"Um no, we'll be staying here," she replied curtly.

"We?"

"Me and my acquainta…..friend," she motioned to the girl searching for her glasses.

"Ah! Nice to meet you!"

"Oh. Nice to meet you too. I guess…" Haru quickly put on her glasses and shook his hand as well as putting on a somewhat forced smile, "You're…the freshman representative right?"

"Yes, I am actually."

For some reason, Saki felt the tension in the air thicken and they all stood there in awkward silence for a few moments until someone finally came to break it.

"Hey Yukio could you help me get somethi—Why the hell are you here?" the brother poked his head from behind the teacher.

"Nii-san, you're extremely loud," Yukio rubbed his temples, "Why don't we all go inside first and then talk?"

The silence was heavy over the three students sitting at a table. Yukio was off making the tea and neither the boy nor Saki said a word. Haruka sat awkwardly in between them, twiddling her thumbs. For what seemed like hours, Yukio finally came with a tray with four cups filled with tea and placed them on the table next to each person.

"At least it's not just us, right Saki?" Haru smiled at Saki who gave her a curt nod while sipping her tea.

"You still didn't answer my question," the boy interrupted, "Why are you guys here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Saki murmured sardonically, "Or do you simply lack the intelligence to tell from observation?"

"Oh so_ now_ you talk," the boy retorted, "Could you say that a little louder? I didn't hear you clearly you little—"

"Watch your manners please," Yukio interrupted, glaring at the boy. Saki just smirked at him, who sat down, looking infuriated.

"I don't believe we've been formally introduced," Yukio added, "I'm Okumura Yukio and this is my older brother Rin."

Haruka choked on her tea, "W-wait, you two are brothers?!'

"It does surprise everyone," Yukio laughed, "But, Rin is older, in name at least."

"Oh shut up Yukio."

"Well, I'm Kuroki Haruka and this is my friend Amemori Sakiko," Haru motioned to Saki who nodded to them.

"I believe me and Amemori-san have already met," Yukio nodded, "I hope you haven't forgotten about you and nii-san's obligations tomorrow?"

She nodded in reply and finished the rest of her tea.

"That's good," he smiled to her, "Both me and Sir Faust have high expectations for you Amemori-san so please don't disappoint us."

"Is there anything to eat here?" Rin interrupted them, "I haven't eaten anything all day and I'm starving!"

"Well, we could buy something from the school if you wanted," Yukio suggested.

"Are you kidding me?! The food there is way too overpriced! I mean, did you see the price for one bowl of ramen?! And don't even get me started on the sukiyaki!"

"Well, this is the school for the rich, so they only get the best for the best," she added.

"So what are we supposed to eat then?" Rin complained, "I can't make anything with the food we have in the fridge! All we have is instant ramen!"

"It's alright. I'm not that hungry anyway," Saki finished her cup and stood, "I'm going to take a shower and then turn in for the day."

"You can choose any room you want," Yukio mentioned as she gathered her belongings, "Since there is only four of us here, it doesn't really matter which room you choose."

"K. I'll see you guys in the morning I guess," she waved to them and headed down the hallway towards the bathroom.

Haruka contemplated on skipping dinner and finding a room near Saki's. She wasn't necessarily afraid of the dark, she just felt uncomfortable in the eerie building that she currently resided in. She thought about following her instead of wandering the dim, worn hallways all by herself. The grumbling in her stomach suggested otherwise.

_I haven't had anything to eat all day. But, I'd rather not wander the halls alone or go with two people who I've just met. Especially in a building such as this. _*grumble* _But, I'm sooo hungry….._

She gave in to her stomach and stayed for one cup of instant ramen which she practically inhaled. She didn't say much to Rin or Yukio while eating except thanking the latter for the food.

"Well I guess I should get going as well!" she laughed, "Good night then! And thanks for the meal!"

Yukio replied back while Rin continued to eat through a third cup of ramen. _Wow. He sure eats a lot. That or he must've not eaten anything for a week! His metabolism must be insane to be able to ingest that much ramen all at once!_

She gathered her things by the door and followed the same hallway which her friend had gone to take a bath in. She could hear the faint noise of running water down the hallway. Other than that, it was deathly silent. She could hear her own footsteps as she walked down the seemingly endless corridor. With the clouds covering the moon, the hallway was dimly lit. A faint light radiated from the necklace, providing very little but just enough light to lead her. As she walked, she heard the steps become slightly louder. She noticed that it sounded…off, uneven, as if someone else was walking with her. She stopped abruptly and the second pair footsteps only stopped a few seconds after.

"Hello? Saki-san? Is anyone there?" she turned around and saw no one, even when she squinted. She shook herself and continued down the hallway towards the bathrooms. She turned a corner and saw light coming from the entrances to a male and a female bathroom.

_Wait. A female bathroom…in a male dormitory? _

She jogged towards the bathroom and ended up tripping over a loose floorboard. She yelped and collided into Saki exiting the bathroom, wrapped in a towel.

"Ow! Oops, sorry Amemori-san!" she laughed and helped the other girl up, "I just got startled by something!"

Haruka noticed how thin her friend looked. Underneath her thick sweater, she looked fine but now, that she could see her, she looked unhealthy. Her face was pale and she looked very tired as well as slightly downcast, almost melancholic.

_Should I give her medicine? She doesn't look too good. I want to do something to help her but I'm not exactly sure as to how to help. Maybe I should ask her first before doing anything._

"Are you alright Amemori-san? You look a little pale. Would you like some medicine?"

"You're one to talk about being pale," Saki retorted.

Haruka huffed "I'm not that pale you know! I just don't go out as often plus my parents are pretty light skinned as well so…"

Sakiko laughed, "Excuses, excuses. Anyways, I'm fine. I'm just tired, so don't worry too much about it."

"Well, if you need anything, just ask ok?"

"I'll keep that in mind. Well, good night Kuroki-san."

"Right, good night Amemori-san!" she waved to the girl who disappeared down hallway.

She took out a change of pajamas out of her bags and placed them on the sink. A stack of towels waited for her by the shower. She turned the knobs on the showers which let a stream of cold water flow out of the shower head. While waiting for the water to change to the right temperature she undressed, folded her clothes into a neat pile and wrapped towel around herself. Before she could enter the shower, a loud crash reverberated through the hallway. She quietly poked her head outside to see where the noise came from. The clouds had all cleared from the sky leaving the moon exposed which lit up the hallway slightly. She scanned the hallway and her eyes locked onto a particular figure in the darkness. Near the end of the hallway she could see a silhouette of a man standing there. The figure stood straight and she could feel his eyes piercing her; her breathing caught in her throat. She rubbed her eyes and put on her glasses to see silhouette more clearly. She rubbed her eyes and the silhouette seemed to have disappeared. She breathed a sigh of relief.

_You're just tired Haruka. That's why you're seeing things._

"Kuroki-san, what was that crash?" she turned around to see Sakiko already changed in a loose-fitting shirt and pajama pants.

"I'm not exactly sure, Amemori-san," she shrugged "Perhaps a window broke?"

"Well, alright, I was just wondering."

Haruka was about to head back into the shower when she felt someone grab her shoulder and turn around.

"Now it's my turn to ask. Are _you_ alright Kuroki-san? You seem to have turned pale. At least, paler than before."

"Nothing! I'm fine!" she sputtered, "Just a little frazzled that's all! I just need to get some rest like you."

The other girl laughed, "Well alright, if you need anything just call me. My room is nearby so I should be able to hear you."

"Ok!" she waved goodbye to the girl who disappeared down the hallway again.

She placed her glasses by her phone and her clean set of clothes then stepped into the shower. The feeling of the warm water on her skin calmed her. It allowed her to think better but she felt slightly uncomfortable. During the duration of her bath, she could feel someone watching her from the dim hallway. She didn't like having her back towards the hallway but she didn't want to turn around to see who it was, if someone _was_ there. Feeling too uncomfortable, she didn't linger in the shower for much longer and quickly stepped out. She looked in the mirror combed her hair and applied lotion after she dried herself by the mirror on the counter. She dressed in her pajamas and heard her phone trill on the counter. She checked her phone to see that she had received a message from her little brother.

_[Haruka-nee! How was orientation? Is the school really that big?] _

_[Orientation was great! The school looks so much cooler in person here! And the school is enormous! I also made friends with another student here. :D How's home life? I hope you've been working hard in your studies and your martial arts. And how's your eyesight? Are you still able to do the things you normally do?]_

_[That's great nee-san! What's her name? I'm glad you're making friends and I hope you have a great time there ^-^ It's a bit tense here at home. Mom and dad have been arguing more often for some reason. At least I'm not at home most of the time anyway. I'm still doing well in school and yes I am practicing every day and not procrastinating like you nee-san. :P It's getting harder to see but I'm perfectly fine so you don't have to stress over me :) ]_

_[That's great to hear :D Her name is Amemori Sakiko and she seems to be more of an introverted kind of person but despite her cold demeanor, she seems like a nice person. :) Hmm, well hopefully it blows over. You know how stressful mom and dad's jobs are so it might just be another small thing. And I don't procrastinate that hard Hikaru-kun. -_- ]_

_[Procrastination is still procrastination Haruka-nee ._. I have no idea what introverted means but I'm going to assume that that's a good thing. But I do hope you're right nee-san. I really miss you and I'm getting tired of hearing them yelling at each other over the smallest of things. ]_

_[Don't worry Hikaru-kun :) I'll be back during the winter break which isn't that far away. I'll try to talk to our parents and try to help them with their problems if I can. Regarding Amemori-san, what I mean by introverted is that she is more reserved and normally keeps to herself. Though she does seem a little cold, I think she might be a kind person deep inside ^-^]_

_[ Oh… I get it, :3c Thanks for the info nee-san! I gtg help make dinner. hope you have a great time at that school! ]_

_[K Hikaru. Ttyl! C:]_

She placed her phone down and heard knocking from behind her. She turned to see Yukio by the entrance to the bathroom and Rin in the hallway just behind him.

"Pardon the interruption. I was just wondering if you needed any extra toiletries because nii-san took most of them to the other bathroom."

"Ah sure, I'll take some! Thanks!" she smiled and took the towels and other soaps from him.

She turned back to face the mirror and froze; blinking a few times. Instead of Yukio behind her, a dark figure in the form of a man stood behind her. His image seemed to flicker as if he was made of fire.

_I'm seeing things. I'm just reallllyyy tired and now Yukio doesn't look like Yukio._

She knew he was staring at her from their reflection but she dare not turn around to face him. Nothing came out of her mouth and she didn't make a sound. The boy Rin looked unfazed as if he didn't see the image.

"Kuroki-san are you ok? You seem tense," she heard Yukio say and reach out to her.

She was completely positive that she had heard Yukio's voice from the figure behind her. Her body trembled slightly. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing.

_Just calm down. I'm just tired. I'm just tired. _She repeated to herself.

"Yo, Yukio, I think you're making her uncomfortable," Rin noticed, "Maybe you should back off."

"Kuroki-san? Are you alright?" the man asked in Yukio's voice.

She tried to pull her thoughts together and focus. She looked at a puddle near her and saw Yukio's reflection perfectly but when she looked back at the mirror, she saw the silhouette. Suddenly, her reflection turned around, back facing her now. Haru's eyes went wide in shock. Yukio's and Rin's voice became muffled and their images became blurred in the background. She looked and realized the bathroom in the mirror and turned into a field of some sort. It looked like it was raining heavily and she saw the person which was supposedly her as well as the shadowy figure in front of her on the grassy field. She could see him much clearly now. He was dressed in a black swallowtail coat and grey trousers, like someone from the Victorian Era. She squinted and could've sworn she saw fire dancing on the edges of his coat. It seemed like a movie playing in front of her. She didn't know why, but even though they were separated by a mirror, she could hear certain fragments of the conversation her reflection and the shadow were having.

"Please…help…condition…..worse….last hope," her reflection begged on her knees.

"Maybe….deal…exchange…..follow through…." He stuck his hand out to her. He said something else but most of his voice was muffled.

Haruka saw her reflection ponder for a moment before nodding and shaking the man's hand.

With a flourish, he waved his hand and a flash of light blinded her. Once the light cleared from her eyes she saw her reflection hunched over in pain, tightly clutching her stomach. At the same moment, Haruka felt a sharp pain resonate on her chest which caused her to fall on her knees. She saw the man bow down and disappear in a burst of fire leaving ashes where he once stood. She saw someone running towards them and staring at her and her reflection. The person cradled her reflection in their arms and she inferred that they probably knew and cared about each other. She could hear him apologizing constantly while her reflection rested in his arms. She tried to breathe but the pain in her chest only intensified and made it even more difficult.

"Kuroki-san! Kuroki-san! Are you alright?" she took a deep breath and blinked a few times. Yukio stood directly in front of her, shaking her lightly. The pain disappearing as well as the grassy field in the mirror.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright," he breathed a sigh of relief, "You were staring at the mirror so intensely and then you suddenly fell on your knees and clutched your chest as if you were in pain. Do you need anything? Medicine, water, food?"

She shook her head to try and collect her thoughts. She knew that she no longer was with the people but she couldn't shake the scene from her head. She had a strikingly similar resemblance to the girl she saw in her scene. She didn't realize she was shaking and hyperventilating. She shakily stood up and took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Yeah, I'm fine Okumura-san. I'm just….tired! Yeah, tired and a little stressed, that's all! It's been a long day so I think I'll go turn in for the night."

"Oh ok then, if you need anything, just ask. Our rooms are right down the hall where Amemori-san is staying."

She nodded and gathered all her belongings before hurrying past both of them. Rin gave her a suspicious look as if he knew she was hiding something but she continued anyway. She knew that her responses weren't at all believable but she didn't want to break down in front of people she just met and besides, she didn't want to relay the events that may or may not have occurred. Besides, they would probably assume that she was insane or something. She felt their stares as she hurried down the hallway towards her room. She saw some boxes by a door labeled with her name so she assumed that her room was nearby. The she opened the closest door to find her friend Saki, unpacking and folding her clothes on a small desk.

"Oops! Sorry Amemori-san, I didn't mean to intrude. I just opened the wrong door!"

"That's fine," she replied back.

"Um, do you by any chance know where my room is?" Haruka asked.

"I was told that you can choose to stay in any of the rooms here because of the lack of students. But you can take the one across from mine if you want. I already unpacked your things and moved them there."

"Ah! Ok then, I guess I'll stay there. Thanks Saki!"

Sakiko stopped and stared at her, "Why do you address me by first name? We aren't that close and I don't really see someone like you as a friend you know."

Haruka frowned at her, "You're awfully blunt you know that?"

The girl turned and smirked at her, "Thank you! I try my best you know."

Haruka rolled her eyes and slowly shut the door, "Well, good night then Amemori-san."

"K. Good night to you as well."

When she heard the door slam shut, Saki chuckled to herself. "At least, not yet. But maybe someday, we could be friends."

Haruka shut the door and took a few steps to the room across from Saki's. She opened the door and saw all her things had already been unpacked and put in a neat pile in the center of the room.

She smiled, "Thanks for the help Saki."

Despite it being a little run-down, it seemed spacious for a dorm. It had one closet by the door and a small bathroom adjacent to the room. It had a few other pieces of furniture here and there but she didn't really care about organizing at the moment. She picked out her large green comforter and pillows from the pile and shuffled on to the bed. As she lay in the bed, she stared at the ceiling, recalling everything that happened in the bathroom. Was she hallucinating? Everything seemed so surreal. What put her off ease the most was the fact that she almost looked exactly like the girl dying. She even recognized the place as the park she used to play in as a little kid. She couldn't recognize the man who vanished but the other person who came to help her reflection looked oddly familiar. She tried to think more on it but drowsiness had already started to catch up to her. Her eyes eventually fluttered shut and she drifted into a quiet slumber, oblivious to the shadow by her window, which disappeared, just as quickly as it came.

**A/N: Well, thanks for reading! Please rate and review, it helps me make my stories a bit better :S **


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